Outside Sales-What are you making/paying?

[Sunrise Guy]

Need to get another salesperson, as I can't cover all calls myself, these days. What is the average pay for an outside salesperson? Do most companies pay a salary plus commission? Is travel time paid? How about mileage? Anyone work straight commission? What percentage? All info is appreciated.

 

[Sunrise Guy]

I was sure I'd get lots of replies. What's the deal? FWIW, I am the climber for my company, so I'm not some sales guy trying to see what others are making against my earnings.

 

[mckeetree]

I was sure I'd get lots of replies. What's the deal? FWIW, I am the climber for my company, so I'm not some sales guy trying to see what others are making against my earnings.

That's all secret info Sunrise. We can't disclose that sort of information. You need to figure out what we are going to do with the Mexican problem.

 

[Kottonwood]

Is pay my guy 10%. He currently drives his own car and pays his own gas.... hopefully not for long. I put ball joints and brakes on it for him recently.

He generally clears 800 to 1000 a week so he is happy.

 

[imagineero]

Is pay my guy 10%. He currently drives his own car and pays his own gas.... hopefully not for long. I put ball joints and brakes on it for him recently.

He generally clears 800 to 1000 a week so he is happy.

I have a girl working for me answering phones on commision, she's pretty good and knowledgeable about trees. I pay her 5% comission and it's a nice side job for her. She's a housewife. I supply the phone and cover the bill. She never leaves home.

At 10% he's bringing in an extra $10k above your usual work? Must be some sales guy.

Shaun

 

[mckeetree]

At 10% he's bringing in an extra $10k above your usual work? Must be some sales guy.

Shaun

Yeah, that is ten thousand extra per week. Pretty impressive.

 

[Kottonwood]

no, not above my usual work. I give him all of my sales .... I am more than happy to let him handle that so I can be out on the jobsite. I still mostly deal with really large jobs and most of the big customers like property owners, hoas etc.

 

[mckeetree]

no, not above my usual work. I give him all of my sales .... I am more than happy to let him handle that so I can be out on the jobsite. I still mostly deal with really large jobs and most of the big customers like property owners, hoas etc.

The main reason I don't hang out here much anymore is I would do a little research then have to call BS on every other post.

 

[mattfr12]

no, not above my usual work. I give him all of my sales .... I am more than happy to let him handle that so I can be out on the jobsite. I still mostly deal with really large jobs and most of the big customers like property owners, hoas etc.

We are doing the same exact thing. My estimator is a retired tree guy and it's currently 10% off of the sale. He does pretty good. I let him drive one of the company pickup trucks. He's making right around the same. Our jobs awarded on the spot have drastically increased since he's usually at your place within an hour of calling 7 days a week. During the day the calls are recorded and forwarded to him. You can setup Google voice to record and forward incase anyone was wondering.

Our call volume is impossible to bid on the weekends. Without a full time estimate guy I would be loosing at least 30% of my income.


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[Garden Of Eden]

You bring the BS with you that is why you aren't missed over here.


He said it wasn't extra, it's his total.

Ten thousand a week is not an unreasonable about at all for this biz at all if you're doing it right even with just one crew.

what threw me is he makes 800/week, and the boss did brakes and ball joints, both inexpensive repairs.

But what do I know? Lol

 

[mattfr12]

What part throws you?


$800.00 per week X 10 is $8k. A salesman doesn't do all sales a company does. Don't overlook repeat clients of the owners who call and say 'Just do it'.

im kinda lost to what sounds wrong about it? 800$ doesn't sound astronomical or anything. i have four full-time guys on my crew my wages are way way more than 800$ a week.

 

[Garden Of Eden]

What part throws you?


$800.00 per week X 10 is $8k. A salesman doesn't do all sales a company does. Don't overlook repeat clients of the owners who call and say 'Just do it'.

How a guy making almost $3500 a month can not afford to do his own brakes and ball joints.

 

[Kottonwood]

We are doing the same exact thing. My estimator is a retired tree guy and it's currently 10% off of the sale. He does pretty good. I let him drive one of the company pickup trucks. He's making right around the same. Our jobs awarded on the spot have drastically increased since he's usually at your place within an hour of calling 7 days a week. During the day the calls are recorded and forwarded to him. You can setup Google voice to record and forward incase anyone was wondering.

Our call volume is impossible to bid on the weekends. Without a full time estimate guy I would be loosing at least 30% of my income.


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Yep I am using google voice too....love it. Got two numbers that end in 8733 too (TREE)


And to answer your questions I didn't do his brakes and ball joints cuz he couldn't afford it. I did it because he has been averaging 50 miles a day on his own car and I feel bad I don't have a sales vehicle for him yet. It needed a little maintenance and I offered to cover it for him. He has made my life so much easier and our company much more productive.

 

[Kottonwood]

The main reason I don't hang out here much anymore is I would do a little research then have to call BS on every other post.

so you want to meet my sales rep? I don't see what you're calling bs on.

 

[Garden Of Eden]

Yep I am using google voice too....love it. Got two numbers that end in 8733 too (TREE)


And to answer your questions I didn't do his brakes and ball joints cuz he couldn't afford it. I did it because he has been averaging 50 miles a day on his own car and I feel bad I don't have a sales vehicle for him yet. It needed a little maintenance and I offered to cover it for him. He has made my life so much easier and our company much more productive.

They weren't so much questions as statements. It doesn't really effect me. I have people spit in my ear and tell me its raining almost daily. Bothers me zero. I think most people say their own BS so much, they believe it. I'm not directing this towards anyone, just making observations.

Jeff, the pretty one.

 

[mckeetree]

You bring the BS with you

No, no I didn't bring you with me.

 

[limbwalker54]

Side note. Matt, its good to have someone who you can trust talking to clients the way you would about trees. I'm guessing you have heard your salesman speak. But how do you go about policing what they say vs. what you would? I realize sales are good, but what if you recommended saving a tree vs. your salesman telling a client that it must be removed? Have you set up a survey or talked to clients after the salesman leaves to make sure he is on par with what you would recommend? Or do you just have an open line of communication when there is something questionable?

I am extremely careful when looking at jobs to sell my job based on arboricultural reason. I also spend a lot of time educating each client. I am not sure if at this stage in my business that I could trust someone else to do the same.

 

[mattfr12]

Side note. Matt, its good to have someone who you can trust talking to clients the way you would about trees. I'm guessing you have heard your salesman speak. But how do you go about policing what they say vs. what you would? I realize sales are good, but what if you recommended saving a tree vs. your salesman telling a client that it must be removed? Have you set up a survey or talked to clients after the salesman leaves to make sure he is on par with what you would recommend? Or do you just have an open line of communication when there is something questionable?

I am extremely careful when looking at jobs to sell my job based on arboricultural reason. I also spend a lot of time educating each client. I am not sure if at this stage in my business that I could trust someone else to do the same.

I guess in my situation it might be a lot easier to have a rep. It's very rare for us to prune trees we do bracing/cabling. But our work is 99.9% removal for my own customers, and We have a guy that brokers work to us. We do crane removal for the local Davey office and a few other smaller outfits. So it's usually crane assisted removals 365 days a year. If we where pruning now we would have to charge to much to run the 250 to 350hp chippers chipping 8 inch branches. We do spraying put down close to 100 gal today. But when it comes to the trees the answer for removal is already decided before me or any of my other guys get there.

Our bidding now is mostly for range resources we just bid a 5 miles of road for well sites to be cut and cleared. On residential work we rarely talk directly with the customer 50% of the time we are subcontracted by another tree service. We even banged a few out with AA This year. I'm amazed that people will pay the rates because we won't show up with the k boom for less than 1200.00. But they keep doing it.


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[mattfr12]

Let's say you wanted me to do work for you and you would bid an oak for three days at 4200.00.

Odds our with our equip I would bid it for 6-8 hours at 3000-3200. You would make 1000 for just watching tv and subcontracting it to us. AA caught on to it and a lot of other local guys so they usually help tie up my weekends. We did two 50-60 foot maples for AA a few weeks ago and we had them down and raked up in 3-4 hours 1500.00. I'm not sure what he got aid but I'm sure it was over 1k just for watching.

There's only 3 local guys I will work for anymore or they would all have a sweeter deal all watching tv and raking in the $$. People won't do the research to find the wholesaler so I don't feel bad for them. AA has Angie's list followers that with his reviews they hire him even I'd he's a good bit more.

Earlier in the summer we did nine pines and nine stumps in a day for him at like 4k. As soon as the trees where gone the grinders moved in .

There might be but I have never seen another company that can deploy three cranes 24/7. Ones not ours but it stays at our lot for gas well work but they don't mind us using it elsewhere as long as it doesn't cut into time we are supposed to be working for them.

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[limbwalker54]

Cool that you are turning tons of removal work.

I hope they are all necessary.

We are a little different. Scientific based tree care, very small company size right now, but we handle anything that comes our way. I enjoy variety. I also want my clients trees to survive, so henceforth much of the work that we get ends up dealing with saving existing trees, and removing ones that truly need to go. If a client comes to me who's new for a removal, the first question I have if I haven't seen the tree is "why does it need to be removed". When I go out to the job to look at it, I either try to advise for, or against the removal. If its obvious, we're givin them a removal price....if its something that truly doesn't need to go, we are usually helping them keep their valuable trees healthy for years to come.